Table 1.

Summary of features of the main physician strikes in Israel from1976-2000

Strike	Strike duration	Actions taken	Most important proximate cause of the strike	The main outcomes
1976	58 days [7]	• Closure of hospital outpatient clinics	• On-call payments to physicians	• 2.5% Salary increase
				• Revision of salary supplements
		• Only urgent surgical procedures	• Time off after being on-duty	• Revision of on-duty and on-call payments
		• No patient discharges	• Full implementation of the previous physician agreement	• A change in the promotion system and shortening of the promotion period
			• A study fund for physicians
			• Opposition to moves to reduce physician numbers
1983	117 Days [7]	• 90% of doctors on strike [8]	• Additional physician posts	• A payment mechanism for working overtime [7]
			• Doubling of salaries
		• Most hospitals operated on a “weekend basis” over a 4 month period [6]	• Restriction both of working hours and consecutive hours worked [7]	• Supplemental payment to doctors for hospital work [7]
				• Supplemental payment to interns: 10% of a doctors salary [7]
		• Ended with a hunger strike and mass hospital exodus [6]		• ‘Many believe that the strike also damaged public trust in the physicians and their representatives’. ([6] p66)
1994	I day [7]	• 24 hour ‘warming strike’ by 12,000 doctors including those from public sector hospitals, health centres and community health fund clinics [9]	• Increased doctors salaries [7]	• New promotion grades
				• Increased salary supplements
				• Determining a payment rate for on-calls
			• Increased numbers of doctors making it difficult to find work [9]	• Days off after on calls and study leave
				• A new system for further medical studies
		• Many elective operations and outpatient appointments were cancelled [9]		• A professional advancement mechanism
				• Recognition of the physician as a top specialist [7]
		• Only emergency services were operating [9]
2000	217 days [7]	• ‘General strikes, disruptions and various sanctions’. [7]	• Salary improvement [6,7]	• A 13.2% salary increase for doctors [7]
			• A remuneration mechanism for further study and absences [7]	• Limitation on consecutive hours that interns and residents work
			• Limits on consecutive hours worked [6]	• Increase in the fixed salary portion of earnings from 35% to 50% [7]
			• The right to private practice in public hospitals [6]	• Extension of the physician pension coverage [7]
				• Study leave entitlement [7]
			• Recognition of out-of hours rotations and on-call duty as part of base pay calculations [6]	• Establishment of a public commission to examine the public health system and physicians’ status [6,7]
			• Higher funding and strengthening of the public health system [6]	• Agreement by the IMA not to strike for a decade [6]
				• Both sides agreed to arbitration for unresolved issues [6]

Sources: Heath System Review, the IMA position papers, the Journal of Medical Ethics, the British Medical Journal [6-9].